24/08/2026
🌿 The Mystery of Esthwaite’s Tench 🎣
There are still plenty of mysteries lurking beneath the surface of Esthwaite Water, and yesterday Andy Schofield uncovered another little piece of the puzzle! 👀🎣
While feeder fishing from Pepper Point, Andy landed this absolutely cracking Tench (Tinca tinca), taken on a simple but clearly irresistible double sweetcorn hook bait. 🌽🌽
A huge well done to Andy on a fantastic capture! 👏 What makes this fish particularly interesting is the story behind Esthwaite’s Tench population — because, quite honestly, we don't really know where they came from! 🤔
They have certainly been resident in the lake for many decades. I first became aware of their presence almost 30 years ago, when we used to trap Eels using fyke nets.
At that time, the Environment Agency stipulated that, as a condition of using the fyke nets, we had to fit otter guards to the entrances. These were designed to prevent Otters swimming into the nets and drowning themselves. 🦦
The downside was that larger Tench couldn't get through the guards either. The juveniles, however, could — and I distinctly remember being surprised on several occasions when lifting the nets to find numerous tiny Tench alive inside them.
And here's where the mystery gets even more intriguing… 🧐
The larger Tench are few and far between, and interestingly, the specimens that do turn up seem to come predominantly from the southern end of the lake.
Around 15 years ago, when the Environment Agency carried out DNA water sampling on Esthwaite, Tinca tinca showed up in samples taken from that bottom end of the lake, but not elsewhere.
Coincidence? A localised population? Or perhaps there are considerably more Tench in Esthwaite than we realise, quietly going about their business beneath the lilies and w**d? 🌿
It certainly wouldn't surprise me.
Esthwaite is a relatively shallow, highly productive lake with extensive w**d growth and plenty of lily beds — exactly the sort of habitat Tench love. And when it comes to food, they certainly aren't short of options.
The lake has extensive bloodworm beds and a rich natural food larder, giving these fish everything they need to grow on to some serious proportions. 💪🐟
So, could there be some very big Tench lurking in Esthwaite?
I strongly suspect there are. 😉
Their presence is just another fascinating part of the biodiversity and character of this incredibly productive lake, and one that continues to intrigue me after all these years.
🎣 So, a challenge to our anglers…
If you're fishing Esthwaite and fancy putting some time into targeting Tench, we'd certainly be interested to see how you get on.
There are sure to be some bigger fish out there — and who knows, perhaps Andy's cracking specimen is just the start of something rather interesting! 👀🔥
Well done again Andy — a superb Tench and a fascinating capture! 👏🎣
